As I see, there are many people here trying to put capital ships to their mods. There are already some tutorials about creating a warship (Dreadnought, Liberty Cruiser and Osiris, I think) With Sephiroth's universal docking device it becomes much more easier. I think we don't need to post large tutorials with straight source code, just some points.

So, to create a capital ship you need:

1. Freelancer
2. BINI decoder

http://www.lancersreactor.com/t/editing ... asp?id=204

3. Sephirot's solararch.ini

http://www.lancersreactor.com/t/forum/t ... ng&M=False



The process of modding takes only a few steps:

1. Decode data/ships/shiparch.ini

2. Open it in Wordpad or similar editor. I hope you can find out that rh_battleship means Rheinland Battleship etc. Drag and copy (CTRL+C) whole section along with subsections (that means Ship, Collision Groups and Simples) and paste them i.e. at the end of the file. Copy and paste, DO NOT change the original.

3. In new section, first thing we should change is nickname. I recommend only minimal change, just ergonomically (like li_cruiser to li_cruiserx).

4. Under nickname, add "shipclass" statement. From original parts you can find out that "shipclass = 0" refers unit to be a light fighter, 1 is heavy fighter, 2 is freighter and 3 very heavy fighter.

5. Now it is 7th statement, "mission_property". Here rewrite original point "can_use_large_moors" to "can_use_berths". That will cause normal docking, just press ESC, when ship seems to be large to land... Mooring hasn't regular animation, thanks to Sephiroth we don't have to make it difficult with it.

6. On next line, change type of ship, i.e. to FREIGHTER. I don't know why, just it crashes when you leave CAPITAL.

7. Time to create hardpoints. Those are places, where are put weapons, shields, thrusters and other external stuff. Weapon turrets are enough for battleship. Decode data/ships/loadouts_special.ini and search for original loadout of your ship's model. Sometimes there are more. See Referring to it, write statements like

hp_type = hp_turret_special_7, HpTurret_K1_01

at the end of the "Ship" section. In loadouts_special you see all HpTurret types, so just copy them. Don't make more.

8. Let's set visual properties. Add a cockpit best is to create a new ini at data/cockpits directory and copy properties of existing i.e. freighter to it. Then you can set own turret camera properties. In shiparch, add statement like

cockpit = cockpits\kusari\ku_gunboat.ini

where ku_gunboat.ini is your new cockpit ini file, to the end of your ship section, under hp_types.

9. Needed is also a camera. Well, safest way is to copy one from existing flyable ship. My li_cruiserx has under cockpit statement these:

camera_offset = 30, 250
camera_angular_acceleration = 0.050000
camera_horizontal_turn_angle = 23
camera_vertical_turn_up_angle = 5
camera_vertical_turn_down_angle = 30

We have to change only camera_offset, altough it has only ergonomical or esthetical value. 30 is number of height and 250 lenght over ship's central point. When you change 250 to i.e. 1000, ship will be rather far, when you set external view. Turret view is changable in your cockpit ini file.

10. Shiparch is done. Maybe you can change also mass (erase one 0 for better speed) and hold size (cargo space, 100000 is rather too much). Close and save the file. Now decode and open data/equipment/goods.ini.

11. Open it with Wordpad and search for i.e. rfr_hull. Copy the section and change nickname and ship statements. Ship has to be nickname of your shiparch, i.e. rh_battleshipx. From shiparch.ini you can also change ids_name (info statement). I prefer also changing price: first lower it for testing, than change it for balance...

12. Go to the end of goods.ini file, where you now have to create ship package. You should copy it from loadouts_special.ini, but remember, change nickname to something new and unique (i.e.kd_package), words "archetype = ..." to "hull", where change also value to be same as you made in point 11 (if you made rh_battleshipx as rb_hull, then get this here). Change words "equip" to "addon", copy from some sections a statement with tractor beam (addon = ge_s_tractor_01, internal, 1). And add ", internal, 1" to all non-weapon points. To be sure, weapons aren't needed, but I like originals. Add here also a statement "category = ship", if you didn't it.

13. Now save and close the goods.ini and decode data/equipment/market_ships.ini.

14. Open the file and find some space station, I don't recommend putting the spacecraft on planets. For testing you can put in closest station solding ships, like Freeport 9 if you are a Maltese/Cretian (Ew04_01), or Battleships: i.e. Missouri (Li01_03), Myoko (Ku02_02), Westfalen (Rh02_02) and Suffolk (Br01_03). Search for the string of your chosen base and add a statement on the end of its section:

marketgood = ld_package, 35, -1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1

where xx_package represents name of package you set in goods.ini and first number level, on which you can buy it. If you want to place it to some logical places, like shipyards (Oder is Rh01_02, Norfolk Li01_07, Southampton Br01_02, Yokohama Ku01_03), then you have to copy some existing part. Also you have to edit decks in universe/systems, but that's buggy. For testing is this enough.

15. Save and close the file.

16. Start Freelancer and fly with your puny fighter to base, where you set your new juggernaught.

17. Buy it and ride it patiently. If it will be VERY slow for you, go to shiparch.ini and lower the "mass" statement.


That's all. I've already used this procedure for Rheinland Cruiser, R.Battleship, Kusari Destroyer, K.Gunboat, Liberty Dreadnought and L.Cruiser. I think even Bretonians will work. I hope it will help you...


Für Rheinland!



Edited by - Caid on 19-07-2003 12:25:49

Edited by - Caid on 22-07-2003 18:21:26